Beirut - Lebanon has been ranked 102nd in Transparency International's most recent Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which was released this week, despite stated efforts by the country's government to reduce graft in the public sector. Although Lebanon dropped three slots from 2007, the country repeated its 2007 index score of 3.
The Berlin-based Transparency International releases its CPI yearly, polling business and country analysts. The index ranges between 0 and 10, with higher scores representing lower levels of corruption.
Lebanon placed in the lower 50 percent at 102nd, comparable with Tanzania, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Djibouti and Mongolia.
While Lebanon was outperformed globally, it ranked 11th out of 20 countries in the region, ahead of states like Syria, Iran, Yemen and Egypt.
Although Lebanon's corruption index remained unchanged from 2007, Transparency International asserted that in Lebanon and several other Arab states "the issue of combating public sector corruption has gained momentum and legitimacy and is now being addressed openly as a principal obstacle to development."
According to economist Louis Hobeika, the types of corruption prevalent in Lebanon are "bribery inside the public sectors, tax evasion and abuse of power."
Former finance Minister Jihad Azour said the Lebanese government signed a partnership agreement in 2007 with the Lebanese Society for the Promotion of Transparency, better known as La Fasad ("No Corruption" in Arabic) - to enable the authorities to combat graft.
Azour said that this step will further strengthen the cooperation between the government and the civil society groups in combating corruption.
The minister said that the government submitted a draft law in May 2006 that would allow the authorities to examine all of the state's accounts from 1990.
He added that the draft law will enable the authorities to prosecute individuals involved in embezzlement and the misuse of funds in public offices.
"The ministry will abide fully with the memo and provide all the necessary assistance to the society," Azour said.
He added that all the information and findings will be made available to the public.
"Some may consider this step as very small, but I believe that it is a turning point if we manage to use it properly," Azour said.
Opposition parties, Hezbollah included, have accused the ruling majority government of corruption and demanded all accounts and spending bills be examined by experts to determine if there is any foul play.
They also demand further explanation on how the public debt has exceeded $41 billion, or 185 percent of the country's GDP.
